Summary:

The gluten-free pie shell and pizza dough hit home runs in the flavor department. Both scored big with our taste buds, and neither had any "off" notes that are common in these types of gluten-free baked goods. The only caveat was the bake-ability - neither browned (but we were okay with that), both required more baking time than called for, and the pizza dough is best for thin crust fans.

Need a last minute shortcut for those holiday pies? Quick dough for an easy pizza night in between the festivities? Wholly Wholesome Crusts come in several dairy-free varieties, including both organic wheat and certified gluten-free.

To note, I love how transparent Wholly Wholesome is with their ingredients and processes. The Wholly Wholesome crusts have just a handful of simple, non-hydrogenated, no funny-business ingredients, they go the extra mile with certifications, they boldly note top allergens and even disclaim allergens in their factory (beyond the same line!).

Tasting Notes for Wholly Wholesome Crusts

Wholly Wholesome offers dough for pies and pizzas, but since we are approaching the holidays, I’ll start with the pumpkin- and apple-friendly pie shells.

Unlike their shelf-stable pie crusts, the pie shells are sold in the freezer section in two-packs, and are meant to be baked according to your recipe (pre-baked or filled and then baked). It’s been years since I’ve trialed any of their wheat-based crusts, so I can’t weigh in on those yet, but we recently sampled their Gluten-Free Pie Shells when making Chocolate-Peppermint Pudding Pie.

I really liked the flavor of the gluten-free Wholly Wholesome crusts – and I’m not typically a pie crust fan. My friend Caroline concurred that it was quite pleasant in flavor, mild, yet tasty on its own, and lacking the bitterness that so many savory gluten-free baked goods can have.

There was just one big drawback … it doesn’t quite bake up. As you can see, the crust didn’t brown at all. In fact, I cooked it two minutes longer than recommended, and it was still a little doughy rather than flaky. Caroline was a bit turned off by this “undercooked” vibe. Though, I still found the crust too yummy to leave behind. Overall, she did agree with me that the flavor warranted a solid 4 stars, and that with a little extra cook time, it might meet her flakier expectations.

Bake-at-Home Pizza Dough

Opting not to bother with a wheat-filled version, Wholly Wholesome’s first foray into pizza dough is certified gluten-free! In fact, it is “Produced in a Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Nut & Casein Free Environment”.

We actually love my homemade gluten-free, dairy-free pizza crust recipe, so I have high standards for the store-bought versions. That said, Wholly Wholesome definitely delivered on flavor. We had three taste-testers and all agreed: scrumptious!

But again, there were a couple of baking caveats. I followed the lead directions to top and then bake. It yielded a very under-cooked crust, even with a few extra minutes of baking time. I definitely recommend pre-baking the pizza dough, at least for 5 minutes. The parts that were exposed didn’t rise at all. If you roll it thin, expect it to stay that thin – though it may rise a touch more if pre-baked.

The Facts on Wholly Wholesome Crusts

Certifications: All of the Wholly Wholesome Crusts we’ve viewed are Certified Kosher Pareve. The gluten-free varieties are Certified Gluten-Free. The wheat-based varieties appear to be Certified Organic.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Wholly Wholesome Crusts are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Select varieties are made in their gluten-free bakehouse. Nonetheless, verify on the label and check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes, ingredients, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product.

20 Comments

I have purchased 4 packages of the Pizza Dough and love it!!! I made 2 pizzas, and today I used 1 for Cinnamon Rolls!! They came out Awesome!!! I used Wholesome Sweeteners Coconut Palm Sugar and Tropical Plantation Coconut Oil, along with Cinnamon & Crushed Walnuts. I made them for my husband, but had to “test” them, AMAZING!

Very impressed!!!! We just tried the 9′ pie shells and are thrilled by this quality product. My wife has problems with not only gluten, but also corn and oatmeal. I am soy intolerant. These pie shells are perfect or both of us and are superier to anything we have tried before. I love pies and had almost given up on finding something we could both eat and enjoy. Anyone who has been gluten free for over ten years will truly appreciate the progress that has been made in creating products that are both safe and tasty. Thanks so much!!!!

I’m hoping these are as good as the reviews are saying they are. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease 3 years ago and have had to go strictly on a gluten free diet. Everything we try is by trial and error. Most of the things we have tried are rather good. I have missed being able to eat pies at holidays. My son wants to try making a dutch apple pie this year, because that’s my favorite. So fingers crossed this will give us thumbs up!

I’d like to know (and sadly don t have time to experiment) if baking ahead a couple of days is a bad idea with these shells. I’ve found GF items really need to be super fresh to taste good, and keep the right texture. I want to bake pies today (Tuesday) to have Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone tried that yet?

AWESOME! Just doesn’t cover it. I have been looking so long for a GF, dairy free, egg, soy, but, corn and additive free crust and this is it!!! I have used it for chicken pot pies, pumpkin pies, etc. The cook beautifully and taste even better! Can’t say enough good things about these. They are the best out there! Now, let’s get them in all the stores so I dont have to drive 20 miles to find them!

Hi, I tried these pie crusts for a non-dessert dish, not suspecting that they are sweet. It spoiled my savory pie. It would be very helpful if they would post “Sweet” on the crusts. Even if I were making a dessert pie, it still would help me to adjust the sugar content of the filling accordingly.

Hi Ann, this is very strange – they have less than 1g of sugar per serving in their pie shells, and they do state that they are good for savories like quiche. I’ve only used them with sweet pies to date, but appreciate your feedback on this!

Just wanted to say thanks for the review! My mom got me some of pie crusts to try, and I was hesitant (for all the reasons you mention) to use them. But, I read your review and I was satisfied. Baked them up tonight! They really were great, just as you described. Thanks!

I love Wholly Wholesome’s gluten free crusts. I use them for quiche and pies. They turn out really well. I have better success not prebaking them and just filling and baking. Otherwise they get too chewy.